As promised in the rules booklet, here is the official FAQ of Small World Underground.

This FAQ will be updated on a regular basis. If other questions come up, please ask them below so that I can update the FAQ accordingly.

Enjoy the game!

----GENERAL QUESTIONS

Immune tokensQ. Some tokens from earlier releases are immune to Special and Racial Powers. Are they also immune to Righteous Relics (RRs) and Popular Places (PPs)?A. Yes. Everything in SWU that is immune to powers is immune to RRs and PPs too, so in that spirit it applies to the earlier immune tokens as well.

MonstersQ. Are the Monsters considered as an In-Decline Race?A. No.

---RACE QUESTIONS

CultistsQ. May Cultists conquer a River for their first region?A. Yes. In this case the Great Ancient will be placed in the first "ground" region that they conquer.

Q. Does the Great Ancient allows to conquer a region with a single token, like the Dragon in Small World?A. No. When Cultists enter the board, they must conquer the first region normally, then place the Great Ancient in it.

Q. What happens to my Great Ancient if I abandon all of my regions to restart elsewhere?A. He is then discarded and can no longer be used (same rule used for the Halflings' Holes-in-the-Ground in SW).

DrowQ. If my Drow occupy a region that is sharing a border with a region containing another Drow, are they still considered recluses and do they score +1 VC each?A. Yes, provided that none of them is occupying a Region sharing a border with any Region containing a different Race or a Monster.

Q. Same question, with the Balrog occupying such a region?A. As the Balrog is neither a Race token nor a Monster, it does not prevent Drow from scoring their special bonus.

FlamesQ. Do Flames start on a volcano?A. They first place the volcano in one of the Abysmal Chasm regions with a volcano symbol. Then, they make their first conquest on any adjacent region.

Q. May Flames conquer a 1st region that is adjacent to the Volcano, then a second region adjacent to the Volcano but not adjacent to the first region they conquered?A. No. The Volcano remain impassable.

Q. If Flames are wiped out of the board or decide to abandon all of their regions, may they restart from the Volcano?A. Yes, as you have to follow the First Conquest rules: Flames' First Conquest must be adjacent to the Volcano.

Q. If Flames get disconnected from the Volcano but still have tokens on the board, may they restart from the Volcano?A. No, except if they choose to abandon all of their regions. Otherwise their conquests are limited to the regions that are adjacent to those thet they occupy.

Q. May Flames cross water?A. Yes.

Q. How many Race tokens must be spent to conquer a Black Mountain / empty Keep of the Motherland (assuming Flames are linked to a volcano)?A. Three.

Q. May Iron Dwarves use their Silver Hammers to conquer a region occupied by Gnomes ?A.No. However they could conquer such a region using their Race tokens.

Q. Do Mummies have to conquer a region occupied by Gnomes with one extra token, or is this rule cancelled by the Gnomes' Power?A. They still have to spend an extra token; the Gnomes' Power never applies to the Gnomes' disadvantage, only in their favor.

Q. There are some Gnome tokens on a region bordering a chasm. Can Spiderines attack these Gnomes by DIRECTLY crawling upon them from the chasm?A. No, they need to first conquer an adjacent non-Gnome region bordering the chasm, and only then attack those Gnomes.

Q. There are some Gnome tokens on a region bordering a volcano. Can Flames erupt from the Volcano and conquer the region as if it were empty?A. No.

Q.Can Lizardmen run over the river to directly conquer a region that is occupied by Gnomes?A. No, because it would mean that they use their Race Power to conquer a region.

Q. May a Marauding Race attack Gnomes in its second phase of attacks?A. No.

Q. May In-Decline Ghouls attack Gnomes?A. No.

Q. Are Gnomes immune to the Pillaging / Ransacking / Thieving Powers?A. No, as these Powers do not help conquerring a region. Note : this is also true for Froggy's Ring.

Iron DwarvesQ. Is it possible to conquer a region with nothing but Silver Hammers?A. Yes, but as you will be forced to remove them at turn's end, the region will be lost (unless you redeploy an Iron Dwarf in that region).

KrakenQ. How many Race tokens must be spent when conquering a River region occupied by 1 Kraken?A. Two (1 for the river region + 1 for the kraken).

Q. Are the Kraken allowed to abandon a river region during Redeployment?A. Yes.

LizardmenQ. Can the Lizardmen use the river to get from one side of the board to the other?A. Yes.

Q. Since Lizardmen don't need to spend a token to cross the river, might we consider regions bordering on the other side as adjacent (and use the shiny orb there?)A. No.

Q. When Lizardmen enter the map for the first time, must they conquer a border region first, or can they (in effect) start their conquests from any coastal region?A. Since they may skip River regions, yes, they can start on a coastal region.

Shadow MimesQ. If Shadow Mimes start with Cursed as the Special Power associated to them, do they have to give up the VCs that may already have been dropped on that combo, if they swap Cursed for some other Special Power? A. No, they may keep the coins that have been dropped on their tile even if they swap Cursed for some other Special Power.

Q. If the Mimes start with something else, can they swap for Cursed and pick up the extra VCs, if any?A. They may swap and still keep the coins that have been dropped on their tile (but not the coins on the cursed combo).

SpiderinesQ. Is a chasm still a chasm once the volcano has been placed in it? In other words, can Spiderines use a volcano, too? A. Yes.

Will o'WispsQ. Do Berserk Will o'Wisps get to roll the dice twice, once before choosing a region, and once after if it's the right kind?A. Yes.

Q: If Will o'Wisps attack from a Crystal region they control into an adjacent Crystal region (assuming such exist), do they roll 1 or 2 dice?A: One.

---SPECIAL POWER QUESTIONS

FisherQ. If a Fisher Race occupies 4 regions in a row that borders the river, does that count as 3 pairs (AB, BC, CD) ?A. No. That would count as 2 pairs, AB and CD. Note that these regions do not need to be adjacent to each other.

MagicQ. May I use the Bag o'Many Things to duplicate the power of a Relic in a region where that Relic already is? For example, may I use the Bag on the Scepter of Avarice to quadruple my region's income?A. No. The power of a Relic cannot be duplicated in a region where that power already applies.

RebornQ. After going into decline with my Reborn Race, I start my next turn without any active Race. May I choose my active Race, then use the Reborn power to replace tokens, even if it is technically no longer "the start of my turn"?A. Yes, but you probably won't have many tokens available.

GeneralQ. May I freely redeploy a Righteous Relic?A. No. A Righteous Relic must be placed in the region where it is used. A Relic that is used for conquest purposes is placed in its target region if the conquest succeeds.

Q. What happens if the Krakens leave Froggy's Ring or the Scepter of Avarice in a river region, and another player conquers it? May he move it?A. Yes. As soon as the region is conquered, the conquering player takes control of the Relic and thus may redeploy it at the end of his turn.

Q. If a player uses any other Relic to conquer a river region, is that Relic left there when he redeploys out of the region? A. Yes.

Altar of SoulsQ. Does the controlling player have to discard the in-decline token and take 3 VCs before or after scoring?A. After scoring, i.e. complete step 3. first (3. Scoring Victory Coins), then discard the in-decline token to take 3 extra VCs.

Great Brass PipeQ. A Quarreling race conquers the Brass Pipe and using the Brass Pipe expands to 3 new separate regions in different locations, which are all of the same territory type as that under the Brass Pipe. Does the race get the Quarreling bonus +4?A. Yes.

Q. Flames conquer the Brass Pipe in a direct line starting from their Volcano. If they conquer a remote location using the Brass Pipe, does their racial bonus apply in that far away territory?A. Yes.

Scepter of AvariceQ. What if it is in a region next to a River, controlled by a Fisher power?A. Nothing special. That region's income is doubled but that does not affect the Fisher power, as it is based on the number of sets of paired regions, not on the income of a region itself.

Q. Can the Scepter double the income for the Flocking or Quarreling powers?A. No. Same explanation: those are based on the number of sets of regions, not on the income of a region itself.

Q. What happens if the Scepter is placed on the Diamond Fields?A. It just doubles the region's income and not the entire Diamond Fields bonus. So a Race that occupies three identical regions, one of them containing the Diamonds and the Scepter, will score 8 VCs (2 per region thanks to the Dahlias, with the Scepter doubling one region's income).

Q. If the Scepter is placed on the Altar of Souls, do I get +6 VPs for the discarded token (instead of +3 VPs)?A. Since the in-decline token is discarded AFTER scoring, no.

Stinky Troll's SocksQ.What happens if I use the socks against an in-decline Race or a Monster?A.Monsters and in-decline tokens would instantly be eliminated, except if they benefit from a game effect that allows them to play like an Active Race (like Ghouls for instance).

StonehedgeQ. What happens with a Cursed Stonehedge?A. In that case, redraw a Special Power to replace the Cursed one.

Q. What happens with a Spirit Stonehedge?A. If the Stonehedge is Spirit, then the Race that occupies it becomes a Spirit Race. If that Race declines while still controlling the Stonehedge, then it is considered as Spirit until it loses control of the Stonehedge. If that happens while the player that lost the Stonehedge has two Races in decline at a time, then the tokens of these Races remain on the board anyway, but both Races will entirely disappear on his next decline.

Q. What happens with a Wealthy Stonehedge?A. Any race that controls the Stonehedge gets 7 VCs - but only the first time they occupy it. If they lose control and get it back, there is no extra payout. Keep a coin on the race tile to keep track of it.

Q. Say that I occupy the Shield Stonehedge. I already have 4 Mushroom Armor tokens. What happens if my opponent takes control of the Stonehedge?A. You do not lose your Armor tokens; however you cannot generate new ones, even if you occupy some Mushroom Forests. Your opponent can now generate new Armor tokens (if available) for each Mushroom Forest he occupies.

Q. Say that I control a Reborn Stonehedge with my in-decline Race. May I empty two regions (including the Stonehedge space) and replace the discarded tokens with my active tokens in order to keep control of the Stonehedge?A. Yes.

Sword of the Killer RabbitQ. If Will o'Wisps attack a Crystal region, may they roll the die, THEN use the Sword if the result of the die is not enough to conquer the region? Same question for Berserk?A: Yes to both.

Wickedest PentacleQ. May I move the Balrog at any point during my turn, or just at the beginning of my turn?A. At any point during your turn.

Q. What happens if the Balorg attacks Monsters ?A. Monsters are instantly eliminated and a token is drawn from the Relics/Places pile, however the players cannot use it as long as they do not capture the region.

Q.What happens if the Balrog attacks Immortal race (or Elves)?A.In this case, the attacked Race suffers no losses and the tokens may be redeployed elsewhere.

Q.May the Balrog conquer the Wickedest Pentacle region?A.Errr yes, though it does not make sense: it means that the player controlling the Balrog attacks himself and permanently locks the Wickedest Pentacle.

Q.If my active Race controls the Pentacle, may I move the Balrog, then enter in Decline?A.Yes, since the Balrog may be moved "at any point during [your] turn".

---COMPATIBILITY WITH SMALL WORLD & SMALL WORLD EXPANSIONS
(first, see p.10 of the SWU Rulebook)

Reminder:
Powers and effects that make no sense (because they were linked to a Terrain type that no longer exists, or because they are linked to Relics or Places when those are not in play) do not apply and should be taken out of the game before start (or when they come into play).

If you want to keep as many Races as possible in your game, read the amended rules below.

Q. How to play Tomb Priestesses?A. Tomb Priestesses regroup ALL of their tokens in one single Region when they go into decline, resulting in a very high Ivory Tower!

Q. How to play Vampire Sorcerers ?A. It works twice per turn per opponent...

In Small World UndergroundQ. How to play Humans in SWU?A. The player who picks Humans as a race immediately receives 5 VCs in bonus (this handles the case where this occurs mid game).

In Small WorldQ. How to play Flames in SW?A. Flames must be used with a volcano. They may take ANY mountain region as their first conquest (spending the necessary number of tokens) then place the volcano on it and apply normal Flames rules. The volcano region is immune as long as the Flames are active.

Q. How to play Lizardmen in SW?A. Lizardmen run over water, which means that they treat lake and sea like river regions, thus may freely cross them.

Q. How to play Spiderines in SW?A. Play Spiderines as an "Underworld" Race: conquer any Cavern Region at 1 less token
than usual. All Regions with a Cavern are considered adjacent. "Underworld Spiderines" would be useless and their Special Power may be replaced with some other Power in this case.

Q. It says, "Where applicable, Powers and effects associated with the Seas and Lake region are transferred to the River Regions and vice versa." What is meant by "effects"? Does it mean that we use the River conquest rules in Sea and Lake regions?A.No. It just means that any effect that would normally apply to the Lake or Seas in SW (for example, a Tales and Legends card) applies to the River if you play SWU. Other examples: a Seafaring Race could occupy the River in SWU, and Kraken could occupy the Seas and the Lake in SW.

Small World ExpansionsQ. Is it possible to mix Small World Underground with Cursed!, Grand Dames or Be Not Afraid?A. Yes.

Q. Is it possible to mix Small World Underground with Tales & Legends or Necromancer Island?A. Yes, but know that this raise a number of compatibility issues. Nonetheless,
- If your players wish to play with T&L, we recommend you discard and draw another card each time you draw a card whose effects are subject to interpretations or inapplicable to SWU.
- If your players wish to play with the Necromancer Island, place the Island on the central river region.

- When a Vanishing race vanishes, can your previous in-decline race stay? (By strict rules interpretation I say no. But the rules do say that the principle is "no more than 1 in-decline race at a time".)

- When a Vanishing race vanishes, can your previous in-decline race stay? (By strict rules interpretation I say no. But the rules do say that the principle is "no more than 1 in-decline race at a time".)

Your previous in-decline race cannot stay: when declining, you first have to remove your old in-decline race from the board, and only then can you put your active race into decline. (This is clearly stated in the french rulebook; I don't know about the english one though).

About Tomb Priestesses, I don't know, but I would be tempted to allow them to build a super huge tower when declining...

Thank you for creating SWU official FAQ topic. Here are my questions which have arised during my first games of SWU (especially Scepter of Avarice is a bit confusing )

Scepter of Avarice: Do I understand it correctly, that the Scepter doubles whole income from a region? For example - I put my scepter of Avarice to mountain with Keep on Motherland where I have my Mummies - do I get 6 points just for that one region (1 + 1 for Mummies on mountain + 1 for Kepp - this all multiplied by 2)... I would say yes, but it seems to be rally strong artifact

Bag of Many Things with Scepter of Avarice: Can I use both in the same region making the double even doubled? (in the example above with Bag 12 points from a single region?)

Bag of Many Things with Sword of Killer Rabbit: Can I use both in the same region reducing the number of needed token by 4?

Stonehedge using Muddy power: Does it mean, that if I occupy the Stonehedge with active race I earn +1VP for mudpools occupied with my active race tokens and same for my race in decline? (because this power works for active race as well as for in decline race)

Reborn: What does it mean "at the start of your turn"? Does it mean before picking up a new active race - so in fact from the 2nd turn of playing with the new race or after that (which will make it more interesting, but it is not if fact the very start of the turn ) )

1) Can the Lizardmen use the river to get from one side of the board to the other, by which I mean: can they use their power to "skip" a river region on multiple river regions consecutively? (So by not placing a token on three of four river regions get from the south of the board to the north without losing any tokens?)

2) Is a chasm still a chasm once the volcano has been placed in it? In other words, can Spiderines use a volcano, too?

Thank you for creating SWU official FAQ topic. Here are my questions which have arised during my first games of SWU (especially Scepter of Avarice is a bit confusing )

Scepter of Avarice: Do I understand it correctly, that the Scepter doubles whole income from a region? For example - I put my scepter of Avarice to mountain with Keep on Motherland where I have my Mummies - do I get 6 points just for that one region (1 + 1 for Mummies on mountain + 1 for Kepp - this all multiplied by 2)... I would say yes, but it seems to be rally strong artifact

Bag of Many Things with Scepter of Avarice: Can I use both in the same region making the double even doubled? (in the example above with Bag 12 points from a single region?)

Bag of Many Things with Sword of Killer Rabbit: Can I use both in the same region reducing the number of needed token by 4?

Stonehedge using Muddy power: Does it mean, that if I occupy the Stonehedge with active race I earn +1VP for mudpools occupied with my active race tokens and same for my race in decline? (because this power works for active race as well as for in decline race)

Reborn: What does it mean "at the start of your turn"? Does it mean before picking up a new active race - so in fact from the 2nd turn of playing with the new race or after that (which will make it more interesting, but it is not if fact the very start of the turn ) )

The Scepter of Avarice works exactly as you understood; but there is something wrong in your example: if you have Mummies on a Mountain with the Keep of Motherland and the Scepter, you will get 4 points, and not 6: 1 for the region, 1 for the Keep - this all multiplied by 2. Mummies do not get an extra point for occupying a Mountain!

About Stonehedge with Muddy power: the answer to your question is no. Only the race occupying the Stonehedge can use its power. This race can be active or in-decline, but still, only one race can benefit from it.

Finally, considering the description of the Reborn power, I would say that you can use it right after choosing a new active race; though I am not perfectly sure about this one.

player759311 écrit le Sun, 19 June 2011 07:37

1) Can the Lizardmen use the river to get from one side of the board to the other, by which I mean: can they use their power to "skip" a river region on multiple river regions consecutively? (So by not placing a token on three of four river regions get from the south of the board to the north without losing any tokens?)

2) Is a chasm still a chasm once the volcano has been placed in it? In other words, can Spiderines use a volcano, too?

1) EDIT: see Official FAQ.

2) To me, a Chasm is still a Chasm, even with a Volcano inside (but it is a very dangerous Chasm, with Flames being able to attack easily...).

These are some questions which came up during our first play of SWU last night. We played the German version, therefore had the German rules/player sheets. Since there are no FAQ over in the German forums I post our questions here, but some questions may just be related to translation issues.

1. Iron Dwarves & their Silver Hammers
"During the Troop redeployment phase of each of your turn, take 1 additional Silver Hammer token from the tray for each Mine Region you occupy and place it in front of you."

2. Will-o&#8217;-Wisps
"You may use the Reinforcement die before any conquest of a Mystic Crystal Region or any Region adjacent to a Mystic Crystal Region your Will-o'-Wisps occupy. Designate the Region you wish
to conquer before you roll the die."

From the English version of the rule it seems clear that this is an ability that can be used anytime you either conquer a Mystic Crystal region or a region adjacent to a Mystic Crystal region you occupy. Is that correct? In the German rules "any conquest", "any region" has been translated "einer Eroberung", "einer Region", which makes it sound like you could only use this ability once during your turn. It should probably have been translated "jeder Eroberung", "jeder Region".

3. The Wickedest Pentacle
"The player who discovers the Wickedest Pentacle immediately sends the Balrog invoked by it into the neighboring (i.e. sharing a common border) Region of his choice."
"In subsequent turns, the player whose troops occupy the Pentacle's Region may move the Balrog to the neighboring Region of his choice, once at any point during his turn, and repeat the process described above."

Does "neighboring" refer to just the one region the Balrog is invoked in or subsequently occupies? Or to all regions the race occupies who controls the balrog?

What happens to the Balrog when the region with the Wickedest Pentacle changes occupancy from one race to another or the race occupying it goes into decline? Does the Balrog stay in the region it then occupies until it is moved again, or does it vanish and needs to be resummoned in the region with the Pentacle?

1. Iron Dwarves & their Silver Hammers
"During the Troop redeployment phase of each of your turn, take 1 additional Silver Hammer token from the tray for each Mine Region you occupy and place it in front of you."

3. The Wickedest Pentacle
"The player who discovers the Wickedest Pentacle immediately sends the Balrog invoked by it into the neighboring (i.e. sharing a common border) Region of his choice."
"In subsequent turns, the player whose troops occupy the Pentacle's Region may move the Balrog to the neighboring Region of his choice, once at any point during his turn, and repeat the process described above."

Does "neighboring" refer to just the one region the Balrog is invoked in or subsequently occupies? Or to all regions the race occupies who controls the balrog?

I'm certain that in all instances it means a region adjacent to where the Balrog currently is.

player761216 wrote on Sun, 19 June 2011 09:47

What happens to the Balrog when the region with the Wickedest Pentacle changes occupancy from one race to another or the race occupying it goes into decline? Does the Balrog stay in the region it then occupies until it is moved again, or does it vanish and needs to be resummoned in the region with the Pentacle?

The answer is in the bolded portion above. Whoever controls the Pentacle's region moves the Balrog. This implies that that control can change hands. There is nothing about repositioning the Balrog when it does change hands, so it does not happen.

Cultists:
Q: May they conquer a River for their first region?
A: Yes, but the Great Ancient must vacate it at the end of the turn as normal, and then be placed in a Cultist-controlled region at the start of the next turn.

Will o Wisps:
Q: If they attack from a Crystal region they control into an adjacent Crystal region (assuming such exist), do they roll 1 or 2 dice?
A: One.

Scepter of Avarice:
Q: What if it is in a region next to a River, controlled by a Fisher power?
A: That region counts as 2 Coastal regions by itself, and the remaining controlled Coastal regions are paired off normally.

Q: Can the Scepter double the income for the Flocking or Quarreling powers?
A: No. Those are based on the number of sets of regions, not on the income of a region itself.

Compatibility in Small World:
Q: It says, "Where applicable, Powers and effects associated with the Seas and Lake region are transferred to the River Regions and vice versa." What is meant by "effects"? Does it mean that we use the River conquest rules in Sea and Lake regions?
A: I don't know.

1) There are some Gnome tokens on a region bordering a chasm. Can Spiderlines attack these Gnomes by DIRECTLY crawling upon them from the chasm, or do they need to first conquer an adjacent non-Gnome region bordering the chasm, and only then attack those Gnomes?

2) Can Lizardmen run over multiple river regions at once? For example, can they simultaneously run over 4 river regions to attack a land region far away?

1) There are some Gnome tokens on a region bordering a chasm. Can Spiderlines attack these Gnomes by DIRECTLY crawling upon them from the chasm, or do they need to first conquer an adjacent non-Gnome region bordering the chasm, and only then attack those Gnomes?

2) Can Lizardmen run over multiple river regions at once? For example, can they simultaneously run over 4 river regions to attack a land region far away?

3) Can you attack Gnomes with in-decline Tomb tokens?

1) My guess: I think they'll have to first conquer a non-gnome region
2) Yes (see above)
3) No (if only because tomb allows you to redeploy and keep tokens on the board, NOT to attack when in decline like ghouls can)

Compatibility in Small World:
Q: It says, "Where applicable, Powers and effects associated with the Seas and Lake region are transferred to the River Regions and vice versa." What is meant by "effects"? Does it mean that we use the River conquest rules in Sea and Lake regions?
A: I don't know.

Q. There are some Gnome tokens on a region bordering a chasm. Can Spiderines attack these Gnomes by DIRECTLY crawling upon them from the chasm?
A. No, they need to first conquer an adjacent non-Gnome region bordering the chasm, and only then attack those Gnomes.

------------------------

This probably applies to Flames and Lizardmen as well? Am I correct?

Flames cannot attack Gnomes by directly erupting on them from the Volcano as their first attack? Lizardmen cannot attack Gnomes as their first attack after running through (and not conquering) some water regions? Both must first conquer a non-Gnome region adjacent to the Gnome region, and only then attack the Gnomes?

1)A Quarreling race conquers the Brass Pipe and using the Brass Pipe expands to 3 new separate regions in different locations, which are all of the same territory type as that under the Brass Pipe. Does the race get the Quarreling bonus +4?

2) Flames conquer the Brass Pipe in a direct line starting from their Volcano. If they conquer a remote location using the Brass Pipe, does their racial bonus apply in that far away territory?

1)A Quarreling race conquers the Brass Pipe and using the Brass Pipe expands to 3 new separate regions in different locations, which are all of the same territory type as that under the Brass Pipe. Does the race get the Quarreling bonus +4?

2) Flames conquer the Brass Pipe in a direct line starting from their Volcano. If they conquer a remote location using the Brass Pipe, does their racial bonus apply in that far away territory?

1) Yes, why not? Brass pipe makes regions adjacent, but they still do not border each other.

2) Same rules apply to all regions adjacent to volcano in an unbroken line. Brass Pipe makes adjacent, so yes.

Since lizardmen don't need to spend a token to cross the river, might we consider regions bordering on the other side as adjacent (and use the shiny orb there?)

This is a really good question. I would really like to know whether or not Lizardmen were originally designed to freely manuever in the river territories. I wouldn't be surprised of this FAQ restricts Lizardmen into crossing one river region in a sequence during a week or two... This free river crossing ability is such a good one, and they get 7 race tokens too. If you look at the Lizardmen Race cartridge, you can see a picture of a Lizardman crossing the river from one side to the other -- not freely manuevering in the river.

We played many games at our summer cottage yesterday. We ended up quarreling about the rules, even though we had printed this FAQ to aid us. Days of Wonder has apparently released a game, which was not thoroughly tested. The original game seemed more balanced and clear than this one. There were many things that we liked about Underworld, but we just couldn't understand how a sequel generally operating by the same rules as the previous one can end up being more confusing than the original one. Shouldn't a sequel always be stunningly more clear and better, when the crew can just modify the old rules a bit, and concentrate on a well balanced game with new ideas which really work out? I mean, Iron Dwarves are just overpowered. Quarreling and Shield just don't receive enough tokens.

To be honest, I strongly think that Underground and its races are more balanced than SW. Dwarves (regular SW) hardly ever get picked here. Sorcerers and Skeletons are super powerful, for instance.

Because of their strength, Iron Dwarves become an immediate target, thus solving the problem quickly. Without race tokens, the hammers are rendered useless. (I'd love to play Mining Iron Dwarves, though...)

Lizardmen and their ability to use the river as a freeway also gives their owner some responsibility. he cannot hide behind the "i'm nowhere near" excuse.

To be honest, I strongly think that Underground and its races are more balanced than SW. Dwarves (regular SW) hardly ever get picked here. Sorcerers and Skeletons are super powerful, for instance.

Because of their strength, Iron Dwarves become an immediate target, thus solving the problem quickly. Without race tokens, the hammers are rendered useless. (I'd love to play Mining Iron Dwarves, though...)

Lizardmen and their ability to use the river as a freeway also gives their owner some responsibility. he cannot hide behind the "i'm nowhere near" excuse.

The Dwarves in regular SW were bad, true! We gave them an additional racial bonus to attack all mountain regions at -1, and after that they started to get picked like others. I think we have played like 200 games of the original SW during the last 3 years. Sorcerers are not really powerful, unless they are Flying. Players successfully defend against them, and without new recruits, the Sorcerers quickly lose their edge. Skeletons are powerful with a good power, but they usually end up being blocked and set against something hopelessly defensive. If you asked our players for favourite races, they would probably reply Elves, Pygmies, Trolls, Ghouls, Halflings and Skeletons -- in this order.

When Lizardmen enter the map for the first time, must they conquer a border region first, or can they (in effect) start their conquests from any coastal region? The reason, why I keep these question coming is, that I'm hoping for the crew to finally start giving out the big answers about how the Lizardmen are supposed to work.

Question about the Wickedest Pentacle: What happens if the Balrog attacks Immortal race (or Elves)?

Thanks in advance.

Isn't this a bit unfair? Other races lose 2 rather than 1 token, so one more than normal. I'd say (and this is how we played it, to be frank) that immortal / elves lose one more than normal, too.
Just a suggestion, of course.

Question about the Wickedest Pentacle: What happens if the Balrog attacks Immortal race (or Elves)?

Thanks in advance.

Well, the elves escape the dragon, so why not the balrog too? Is this unfair? Well, the balrog cannot attack active gnomes AT ALL. So, I would stick to the suggested rules, that elves escape the balrog unharmed. If there is no reason to make an exception, then there is no reason to make an exception.

"And of course, any race hoping to pass through a river region occupied by kraken must conquer it first."

So yes. 1 token for the river, 1 for the kraken. Mind you, Lizardmen would have to pay 1 and Mummies would have to pay 3.

Lizardmen wouldn't have to pay: they may pass through River regions, whether these are occupied or not. IF they want to conquer the region (to prevent Kraken from scoring more points) they would have to conquer it with 2 tokens though.

Magic
Q. May I use the Bag o'Many Things to duplicate the power of a Relic in a region where that Relic already is? For example, may I use the Bag on the Scepter of Avarice to quadruple my region's income?
A. No. The power of a Relic cannot be duplicated in a region where that power already applies.

Magic
Q. May I use the Bag o'Many Things to duplicate the power of a Relic in a region where that Relic already is? For example, may I use the Bag on the Scepter of Avarice to quadruple my region's income?
A. No. The power of a Relic cannot be duplicated in a region where that power already applies.